nmea 2000 gauges

[Nick_H]

I know nothing about electronics and nmea networks, so i'm hoping someone can help me.

I've just fitted a new outboard which apparently has an nmea 2000 bus. It comes with two "smart gauges", one of which has a dial gauge for speed, the other for rpm. They both also have digital displays which can show a range of info including engine trim, temperature, battery voltage, fuel level, and oil level.

As the boat previously had seperate gauges for lots of this stuff, i'm left with 1 x 3.5" and 3 x 2" holes in the dash that aren't being used.

My question is, can I buy off the shelf nmea 2000 gauges of the right size, plug them in to the nmea bus, and easily configure them to show the extra info on seperate gauges, or is it more complicated than that.

 

[z1ppy]

im no expert in this respect but when we re rigged the console of our old rib we did away with the gauges all together and put plotters in which could display the engine information.

the engine on the rib was NMEA 0183 (not 2000) and we ran a convertor which allowed the information to be shown on the plotters. the convertor connected to the NMEA network and infoirmation was displayed. obviously as engines are NMEA 2000 no need for convertor so should be even easier.?

If it were me, i would get a plotter that accepts NMEA 2000 Imputs (most will, we used Garmin 750s but this was a few years ago) and show all the engine data through the plotters. i really liked haivng 2 plotters (one over the helm and one for the Nav) which allowed me to see the engine data when helming and the other plotter. the other benefit was when i was nav, i could also see the engine data at the touch of a button... will try and find some pictures to explain it better....

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?257133-Console-refit&highlight=

 

[Nick_H]

im no expert in this respect but when we re rigged the console of our old rib we did away with the gauges all together and put plotters in which could display the engine information.

the engine on the rib was NMEA 0183 (not 2000) and we ran a convertor which allowed the information to be shown on the plotters. the convertor connected to the NMEA network and infoirmation was displayed. obviously as engines are NMEA 2000 no need for convertor so should be even easier.?

If it were me, i would get a plotter that accepts NMEA 2000 Imputs (most will, we used Garmin 750s but this was a few years ago) and show all the engine data through the plotters. i really liked haivng 2 plotters (one over the helm and one for the Nav) which allowed me to see the engine data when helming and the other plotter. the other benefit was when i was nav, i could also see the engine data at the touch of a button... will try and find some pictures to explain it better....

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?257133-Console-refit&highlight=

Thanks. There is a nmea 2000 compatible plotter on the boat, but this is more about filling holes in the dash than having more data to hand, although I think a series of single gauges will be easier to follow than the scroll through digital readouts on the smart gauges

 

[David2452]

Lowrance do a nice range of round N2K gauges.

 

[z1ppy]

Thanks. There is a nmea 2000 compatible plotter on the boat, but this is more about filling holes in the dash than having more data to hand, although I think a series of single gauges will be easier to follow than the scroll through digital readouts on the smart gauges

I see, makes sense. in defence of the plotter soution, you should be able to get all (or most depending on the size and type of plotter software) of the information shown on the individual gauges displayed on a single screen if memory serves, we had RPM, Fuel tank level, Trim level, Speed (GPS), Fuel flow and temprature on a single screen.

im pretty sure there are a few NMEA 2K gauge manufacturers, i have some research files on my laptop at home, will check tonight for you.

 

[jfm]

Yes you can Nick. The gauges are generally specced/described as displaying j1939, but that is the same or almost the same thing as n2k

The crucial word there is "almost" While they ought to work you always have the possibility of some tiny software mismatch

I have a j1939 spare new tacho for my caterpillar engines. It shows rpm on a needle with a little /lcd to show hours, temp, other engine data, all selected by a button to scroll thru. Do you want to plug that into your bus and see what happens? I just gotta find it - I think it is on boat and I'm there this weekend. I think it has a 3 pin deutsch connector on the back but cannot remember 100%

3.5 and 2 are standard sizes; my Cat tacho is 3.5inch

 

[Nick_H]

Thanks, there's a lot more info on the internet about J1939 gauges than nmea2000. It looks like the Evinrude gauges are Faria. There are suitable 2" gauges by a range of manufacturers, so I'll maybe get one and try it.

 

[jfm]

Thanks, there's a lot more info on the internet about J1939 gauges than nmea2000. It looks like the Evinrude gauges are Faria. There are suitable 2" gauges by a range of manufacturers, so I'll maybe get one and try it.

Sounds good. Will likely be plug and play. If you need to attach new connectors to your loom, to fit the gauges you buy, there are loads of deutsch connector kits on eBay (plus the special crimp tool) and loads of internet info on field-attaching the connectors